Passengers were left stranded at the Rigasa Train Station on Monday after an Abuja-bound train derailed near Jere in Kaduna State.
The incident occurred in the early hours of March 16, 2026, when several coaches of the Abuja–Kaduna train service derailed on the tracks close to Jere community, disrupting rail movement in both directions.
Passengers waiting to board the service at Rigasa Train Station said they had been at the terminal for hours with no clear information about when operations would resume.
One passenger, Musa Ibrahim, said the situation caused confusion and frustration among travellers.
“We arrived at the station very early in the morning hoping to catch the train to Abuja, but we were later told the train had derailed near Jere. Since then, many of us have been waiting here without knowing when the next train will move,” he said.
Another traveller, Fatima Abdullahi, described the disruption as stressful, noting that many commuters depend on the train service to get to work in the nation’s capital.
“Some of us have important appointments in Abuja today. The train is the safest and most reliable option for many people, so this delay has really affected our plans,” she said.
The Abuja–Kaduna rail line, operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation, is one of the country’s busiest rail corridors, linking Kaduna with Abuja.
A railway official who spoke on condition of anonymity said engineers had been deployed to the site to assess the damage and restore operations.
“Our technical team is already at the location working to clear the affected coaches and inspect the tracks. Efforts are ongoing to ensure that services resume as soon as possible,” the official said.
Authorities are yet to confirm the cause of the derailment, while passengers continue to wait at the station for further updates on the resumption of train services.